


Past, Present, Future?

by LilyRose9



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: 8th Horcrux, Adorable James Potter, BAMF Hermione Granger, BAMF Minerva McGonagall, Constant Vigilance, Dumbledore Bashing, F/M, M/M, Marauders' Era, Merlin is a Little Shit, Misguided Albus Dumbledore, Morgana is so done, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Sibling Harry and Hermione, Sirius Black Needs a Hug, Smart Harry Potter, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-09 11:36:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14715282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyRose9/pseuds/LilyRose9
Summary: Harry and Hermione are tasked with the impossible, to destroy yet another horcrux, only this one is trapped in the year 1981. Gifted a unique time turner that belonged to Merlin himself, the two are sent back only to find themselves in the Potter household in the year 1970. Pairings HPGW, SBHGRL, JPLE. Join in Harry and Hermione's journey through the past, present, and future.





	1. "Where There's Life There's Hope"

Chapter One: “Where There’s Life There’s Hope”

It was the shouting that woke Hermione up, violent curses ringing throughout the air that jolted through her senses, startling her to consciousness. Gasping for breath, she tried to sit up only to cry out at the searing pain along her ribcage where Dolohov’s curse had hit her. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to focus on pushing down the pain, as her hand fumbled for her wand next to her. 

“Lumos” the soft glow at the end of her wand showed an empty room, the door open ever so to where she could hear the sounds of battle. 

Slowly, she pushed herself to a sitting position, and lifted up her shirt to see the jagged burn stretching across her flushed skin. Wrapping it tight with a quick bandaging spell she’d learned during the Triwizard Tournament, Hermione crawled to the door and reached up to the handle, using it as leverage to pull herself to her feet. Shuffling along the edge of the corridor, she followed the shouts until she came upon the open door of the Veil Room. 

Lights flashed across the room, green and red mingling in an unholy Christmas vibe that sent chills down her spine. Harry was dueling side by side with Sirius next to the archway while the other Order members held off the endless flood of Death Eaters. Only Harry could get himself into these situations, Hermione shook her head and quietly crept into the room, skirting the edges of the wall to avoid detection by Death Eaters. Bellatrix’s high pitch laugh echoed across the room as she joined the fray, circling in on Sirius. Hermione’s eyes narrowed in on the godson/godfather duo as they battled against Malfoy and Bellatrix, Harry was holding his own but his eyes were sunken and his mouth tight in exhaustion. Standing a little taller, Hermione raised her wand and began casting shield charms from her spot in the shadows, both at Harry and Sirius, drawing Bellatrix’s ire away from them.

“Who’s there? One of itty bitty Potter’s little friends hiding in the shadows?” she cried out, her eyes flicking around the room in a mad dash.

“Behind me Hermione,” Professor Lupin came out of nowhere, shielding her from sight as he cast a confundus charm on Rodolphus Lestrange. 

“Thanks Professor Lupin,” she muttered before turning yelling “Reducto” at a Death Eater that was sneaking up behind Ginny and Luna. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Remus, Hermione,” Remus said as he pulled her out of the way of a blasting hex, rubble shooting out to coat them in a thin film of dust.

“Is now really the time Profess-Remus?” Hermione replied as she hurled a Full-Body Bind at Malfoy. 

“Well now seems about as good a time as any,” his cheeky grin was ruined slightly by a stinging hex, that sent him into a snarl, his eyes glowing amber.

“Constant Vigilance!” Moody snapped as he trudged past them, his staff lashing out to clock Lestrange across the head. “Stop making chit chat with the girl Lupin and start fighting.”

“Yes sir,” Remus snickered as Hermione ushered him away, her eyes drawn to Sirius and Bellatrix’s duel. 

Harry had Malfoy on the ropes, and after a perfectly executed Expelliarmus, sent him running.

“Nice one James” Sirius barks, sending a blinding grin across Harry’s face.

Bellatrix’s shriek of rage was the only signal of her attack and Hermione reacted on instinct. Flicking her wand out she shouted “Stupefy”, stunning Bellatrix before her spell left her lips.

Sirius’ grey eyes widened comically as he watched his cousin take a prat fall face forward onto the ground, showing Hermione standing a few feet behind her, her wand outstretched.

“Well then, I guess I owe you a debt kitten,” he smirked as Harry gaped at his fellow Gryffindor. 

“I did it for Harry, not you. No offense,” Hermione replied as she stumbled over to her best friend and enclosed him in a hug, savoring the small victory for the moment, not realizing the true effects her actions would have later on.  
 


	2. "Short Cuts Make Long Delays"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gets a mysterious message from Dumbledore, Hermione fights to protect those she loves, and Merlin cackles in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter! As always I own nothing and JK Rowling is a goddess. Also kudos to who can guess where the chapter titles come from!

Chapter Two: “Short Cuts Make Long Delays”

Sitting back against the ornate chair, Harry gasped for breath as he shook off the memories of the pensieve. Snape had been in love with his mother—why the bloody hell had he been such an arse to Harry all these years? And oh yeah, there’s another horcrux that Voldemort hid the night his parents died in some sort of blood ritual time spell. And he himself was a horcrux and meant to die. Perfect. 

“So how the bloody hell am I supposed to destroy a horcrux stuck in the year 1981 while sacrificing myself to kill the horcrux inside of me?” 

“I believe you know the answer to that Harry, trust in Miss Granger, she will be able to handle the other horcrux,” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled as he shifted around in his portrait.

“How would she even get at the horcrux, you said it was locked in 1981?”

“There is a box on beneath Fawkes’ cage, pick it up and open it.”

Bloody mental old wizard, Harry thought as he stood up to get the box. Plain black wood met his grasp as he picked it up and put it on the desk before him.

“Open the box, Harry.”

Flipping open the lid, Harry’s emerald gaze was met with a shimmering silver gleam, in the center of the box was a time turner. But instead of the golden time turner with sands inside like Hermione’s was, this one was a liquid silver that seemed to melt into the black felt beneath it, and inside the hourglass shape was a crystalline fluid. The writing etched along the bands made little sense to him as he ran a finger along them.

“So she’s supposed to travel back in time then? I thought that all the time turners were destroyed when we were in the Department of Mysteries two years ago?”

“Yes, and they were. But this is not a Ministry made time turner, this is something different. I first stumbled upon it in my travels after my battle with Gellert, I found it in the old ruins on the Isle of the Blessed. It’s the first time turner Harry, Merlin’s time turner, made with the waters of Avalon. Its powers are far beyond that of the one Miss Granger had your third year. Per lore, it rewrites the wielder into the time they traveled to until the task they’ve set out to accomplish is done, then it sends them back to their time, and the changes they wrought while in the past blend seamlessly with the present,” pausing Dumbledore met Harry’s questioning gaze.

“So with this, we could change—everything? How is that even possible, Hermione always said bad things happened to wizards who meddled with time.”

“And that is true for those who use a lesser means of travel, but this Harry was created by Merlin himself, and there is a reason why he is known as the greatest sorcerer to ever live. But remember Harry, every action you take in the past would have far-reaching consequences when you return to the present, if you were to change something drastically, the present so too would change, and it may not be for the better,” Dumbledore’s eyes lost their signature twinkle as he stared Harry down.

Harry sat there for a minute, staring at the box in his hands. With it, he could save his parents. They would never have to die that October 31, 1981 night. But…what would happen if he did? Would something far worse happen down the line? And if all the horcruxes were destroyed in the past, would the one in him still exist?

“You would still be a horcrux Harry. The past would blend with the present, not replace it. It is your destiny to face Tom and die, I’m sorry, if there was another way… entrust the task of the last horcrux to Miss Granger, I’m positive she can complete it.”

“So I’m supposed to go off to my death and let Hermione stumble through the past to find a hidden horcrux by herself? Honestly Dumbledore, that’s madder than the last few months we’ve spent wandering around looking for horcruxes,” Harry shook his head before running a hand through his hair, “The hour’s almost up, I need to go meet Voldemort in the forest.”

“I am sorry my boy, but it is all for the greater good.” Dumbledore’s words followed Harry as he walked out of the Headmaster’s office and down the stairs.

HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL

Jumping over a fallen pillar, Harry pocketed the box and headed over to Hermione who sat on the far end of a table in the Great Hall nursing a bloody Sirius. A long scratch covered the side of his god-father’s face and his hands were currently seeping in a bowl of Dittany. Rubbing a hand along the scars across his own hand, Harry winced and cleared his throat alerting them to his presence. 

“Harry! Where have you been?” Hermione shrieked as she stood up, throwing herself at him.  
“In Dumbledore’s office, viewing Snape’s memories. Can we talk in private Hermione? Sorry Sirius, it’s just some stuff Dumbledore wanted me to pass on,” Harry looked apologetically at his god-father who cocked an eyebrow in response.

“That’s alright pup, I need to go check on Moony and make sure he hasn’t done anything stupid,’ Sirius stood up and placed a damp hand on Harry’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly before walking off in search of the wayward werewolf.

“What did you want to talk to me about Harry?” Hermione asked, drawing Harry over to the table and sitting him down.

Pouring out all that he had seen and discussed with Dumbledore, they sat there in silence. Hermione was in shock, she had read about the waters of Avalon and Merlin’s personal time turner but its actual existence, she’d never truly believed in. And now Harry had it, and wanted her to use it and destroy yet another horcrux, and maybe—save his parents? Frozen, her eyes fixed on the box in her hands that held the time turner, she didn’t notice Harry’s disappearance. 

“Where did Harry go kitten?” Sirius’ question snapped her from her thoughts. 

No, Harry you didn’t.

Jumping to her feet, Hermione took off in a sprint towards the castle gates, Sirius on her heels with the rest of the resistance following. Panic bubbled up inside her as she ran, shoving the box in her purse, she pushed past her innate curiosity. Screams echoed across the walkway before the courtyard, shapes appearing before Hermione’s running form. Jerking to a halt, she stumbled forward a bit as Sirius collided with her back, his arms wrapping around her torso to keep her from falling forward. The mass of shapes converging on the castle cleared, it was the Death Eaters, and Hagrid. At their head was Voldemort, his pale face gleaming in contrast with his dark robes, his manic smile sending chills down her spine. Striding behind Voldemort was Bellatrix, her laughter cackling out into the night as her wand seemed to propel Hagrid forward. Tripping forward, Hagrid attempted to adjust something in his arms, his choking sobs becoming more noticeable, tear tracks pouring across his dirt streaked face.

“Harry no!” Ginny’s scream ripped through the crowd, as the redhead surged forward. 

Gasping, Hermione cried and tried to wrench herself from Sirius’ grasp as she recognized who Hagrid was carrying. His messy black hair and pale face were revealed as Hagrid shifted the limp body in his arms. Voices began screaming out, but Hermione didn’t notice them as a cold wave swept over her, her brother was dead. A moan of pain sounded from behind her as Sirius tightened his grasp around her. “Pup,” he whimpered, pulling her soundly into his arms, using her body as an anchor. A growl sounded behind them as Remus stormed forward, his eyes glowing amber as the wolf surged forward.

“No Remus,” Hermione whispered, her words halting the werewolf’s movements, “It’s not worth it.” Her heart constricted as the two men next to her whimpered, their pain echoing her own. The three of them stood there in silence, the world around the rushing by as Voldemort expounded his victory and the benefits of joining his side. Staring at Harry’s body in Hagrid’s arms, Hermione felt the weight of the box in her purse settle, a heavy feeling that started in the pit of her stomach and pulled her down to the ground. She had to go back now, she could change everything, she could save Harry and his parents before any of this happened. Tugging away from Sirius’ grasp, she took her eyes off Hagrid to meet the steel grey ones of the animagus, tears had pooled up in his turning them into a dull slate, widening her own, she pleaded with him. Locked in his gaze, she felt a sudden bolt of electricity down her spine as his eyes cleared and lit up with a surge of something she couldn’t quite define, but it seemed to be—hope. Whirling around she looked back to Hagrid, only to see his arms empty… could it be? Is Harry, alive?

Voldemort’s face twisted in rage, his demonic red eyes flared as he lashed out, sending an Avada into the crowd. Death Eaters swarmed forward and the air lit up with spells. Stepping away from Sirius, Hermione whipped her wand around her head, a rope of fire bursting forth. Lashing out at the approaching Death Eaters, she twirled and twisted her wand, the flame whip burning all in its path. Bolts of red light shot from either side of her as Sirius and Remus joined the fight.

“We have your back kitten, now find Harry,” Sirius barked, his grey eyes darkening as they threw themselves into the battle. 

With Hermione at the lead, the three formed a triad of violence, cutting through Death Eaters with ease as they hexed, cursed, and jinxed their way across the courtyard and back into the castle. 

“Bombarda Maxima!” Hermione shouted, sending an explosion of rock and dust at an oncoming Acromantula. 

“Diffindo,” Remus’ wand snapped out to hit Macnair across the face with the cutting curse, cleaving through bone and flesh in a spray of blood as the executioner tried to sneak up behind Sirius.

“Thanks Moony,” Sirius grinned as he wordlessly levitated two Death Eaters and tossed them into a wall, “Allow me to return the favor.”

“Stop playing you two,” Hermione snapped, her hair sparking into wild waves as she charged forward, “I think I see Harry.” 

Sprinting forward, Hermione trusted the two Marauders behind her to have her back. A messy black head of hair appeared and disappeared among the masses. Stupefying Alecto Carrow, Hermione ducked around a pillar on the edge of the Great Hall and froze. Dueling two on two were Harry and Draco against a pair of masked Death Eaters. Her wand aloft, she slashed it down in an arc, sending a wave of air straight into the Death Eaters, knocking them back into the wall with a sick crunch of bone. Harry lunged forward and yanked Draco back from an errant spell, the spot the blonde pureblood had been standing in exploding seconds later.

“Harry James Potter, of all the cruel and insensitive things—you let us think you were dead!” Hurtling herself at him, Hermione let her fists pound at his chest, tears streaking down her cheeks.

“Don’t do that again Pup,” Sirius added as Remus’ eyes flashed at the two of them.

“I had to, I was one of his horcruxes…” Harry trailed off as Draco threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed “You were a bloody horcrux Potter? The Dark Lord had horcruxes—plural? Fuck did I choose the wrong side.” Muttering to himself, Draco stormed off. 

Shaking their heads at the outburst, Remus and Sirius took up guard positions along the corridor as the two friends began to talk. Sagging a little in Harry’s arms, Hermione looked up at him and sighed.

“I should probably go back now, shouldn’t I?” 

“Probably the best time yeah…then I could face him with no horcruxes left. Neville did a fantastic job with Nagini.” 

Hermione hiccupped as she wiped away her tears, giggling slightly at the memory of Neville’s smack down of Voldemort, “We’ve all changed so much.”

“Yeah, we have. But it was for the better, we’re all stronger now,” Harry paused and met Hermione’s gaze, “You’re still my sister though, and when you go back…” Pulling out the box, Hermione ducked her head from his wet emerald eyes. Running a hand along the smooth ebony wood, she opened the box, her hands shaking. Gently, she grasped the silver chain, pulling the time turner out, revealing a note at the bottom of the box. Spotting it, Harry reached over and grabbed it, his eyes flicking over the words at a rapid pace that put her studying for the OWLS to shame. 

“Is there—do you want me to find them, to warn them, Harry?” looking up she met his eyes again, “Harry?” A smirk flitted across his face, emerald eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Harry?” Hermione startled as Harry snatched the time turner from her hands and wrapped it around both of their necks. 

“I’ll tell them myself Hermione, I’m not letting you do this alone. Dumbledore was mad, it’s too much of a burden for just one person, let alone my sister.” Stuffing the note in his pocket he grabbed Hermione’s hand and smiled.

“Are you sure?”

“This may be my one shot to save my parents—to see them. I’m sure.”  
“Harry, remember the rules…”

“Hermione, trust me. Normal rules don’t apply anymore. Now, how many times do we turn it?”

“The note didn’t say?”

“Ah, no. It just said…” A sudden pulling sensation in the pit of their stomachs yanked them down. Darkness swept past them, a swirling vortex as far as their eyes could see. Then, a silvery shimmer hovered along the endless horizon, moving quickly towards them. The silvery mist danced along their intertwined hands, sinking into their skin. A twisting feeling built up in their stomachs as Harry and Hermione locked eyes for a split second. Emerald met chocolate and the world faded to grey. 

HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL

From their stances against the pillars at the end of the corridor, Remus and Sirius started. A wave of magic pulsed past them, and something deep within the recesses of their minds clicked.

“It’s started,” Remus smirked over at Sirius, twin expressions of manic glee appearing on their faces.

“Oh this is going to be good,” Sirius snickered.

HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL/HPGW/SBHGRL

Standing over the clear waters, a man turned to his female companion and passed a coin over to her. 

“You were right, he went with her,” he said, ignoring the triumphant smirk that appeared on his companions face.

“When will you learn Merlin, I’m always right,” the woman laughed, her grey eyes flashing with mirth.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up now. You won’t be laughing in a few months,” Merlin muttered, running a hand through his dark hair, messing it up.

“Why?” the woman paused, her countenance darkening as her raven hair crackled with magic, “What do you know Merlin?”

“Many things, and none of them good. Let’s just say the next decade is going to be rough for those two.”

“Decade?” the woman shrieked, her eyes flicking to a molten gold as the earth shook beneath them, their gazes brought back to the clear waters of the lake as a scene began to appear.  
 


	3. "Little by Little, One Travels Far"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Hermione deal with being back in time, Dorea puzzles over her children's moods, and Merlin plots like a madman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, third chapter done. These last few weeks have been hell trying to get something written. Anyways, as always I own nothing as it all belongs to the lovely JK Rowling and the creators of Merlin. Again kudos to who can figure out where the chapter titles come from, I'll give you a hint, it's another epic tale.

Chapter Three: "Little by Little, One Travels Far"

Light burst along their eyelids in scattered patterns, veining across the thin skin to hit the eye itself. Groaning, Harry untangled his hand from Hermione’s and sat up, blinking slightly at the bright lights around them. Hermione shook her head, rubbing a hand over her eyes as she took in the rich maroon drapery along the ornate window before them. Taking in their surroundings, the two startled as they locked eyes and reeled back. Youthful faces, nearly ten years younger stared back at them. Hermione’s freckled face, still full with baby fat, her front teeth slightly larger as they had been in her childhood. Harry’s eyes while tired and filled with ageless wisdom were set in a pale yet healthy face, his cheeks full as well, instead of the thin and boney shape that they had taken over months on the run. 

“What the?” Hermione squeaked out as she scrambled off the plush couch they sat on, “Harry, I don’t think we went back to 1981.”

“1981, blimey Hermione I know you like to plan ahead but why are you planning your future out ten years in advance?” A young male voice started from behind them as the door creaked open and a boy stepped in. Harry twitched as his doppelganger walked towards them, the same messy black hair that stuck up in the back and a gangly frame, the only difference lingering behind his glasses, with eyes hazel instead of emerald green.

Magic swirled along the edges of Hermione and Harry’s skin as they gasped, ten years of memories flooding forward in a deluge of images. Blinking, Hermione walked forward and punched the newcomer slightly on the shoulder, a smile breaking across her face, “You know me Jaime, I love my plans. I have ones for you and Harry too.”

“Yeah big brother,” Harry smirked as he tried not to panic, reconciling the memories of his father as his older triplet, “You know how Hermione is, she’s the studious Potter, I’m the Brave Potter and you’re the…”

“Handsome Potter,” James Potter grinned as he slung an arm around his siblings.

“I was going to say Idiot Potter, but if your ego really needs that boost,” Harry laughed as he dodged James punch.

“If you two are going to start fighting then I’m going to head down to the library, I have some—things to research,” Hermione sniffed while making eye contact with Harry as she fingered the box in her hands. Patting his pocket, Harry froze as he felt the crinkle of parchment within, “Uh actually I need to go to the library too, for research, separate research.”

Shaking her head at his failed attempts at subtlety Hermione took off down the hallway and into the east wing of Potter Manor, Harry’s footsteps echoing behind her as he jogged to catch up to her quick pace.  
“So… Dorea and Charlus Potter are our parents, my grandparents are my parents. My dad is my brother,” Harry muttered as he caught up, his eyes widening slightly at the size of the library they found themselves in.

“You think that’s weird, five minutes ago I could have sworn I was a muggleborn Granger, not a pureblood Potter,” Hermione hissed as she launched herself into the room, her eyes scanning the shelves, “There has to be something about Merlin in here, Harry what did the note say?”

“You may have been a muggleborn, but you were a Potter, Hermione, you were my sister. Hold on,” rummaging around in his pocket, Harry pulled out the note and unfolded it before passing it on.

Grabbing the note, Hermione smoothed out the rough parchment and sat down into a cushy armchair in front of an ornate fireplace at the back of the library. So focused on the note, she completely ignored the vast expanse of the library around them. Running a finger along the words, she gasped in surprise, it wasn’t as she had assumed, a letter from Dumbledore, but one from a future self, her future self to be precise. 

To my younger self,

Hello young Hermione, I know this must be strange to take in, after all Dumbledore was the one to organize the time turner and tell Harry about the horcruxes, but we were the ones who gave him the tools to do so. I know that we don’t believe in Divination much (it’s still a dodgy subject and Trelawney is a complete fraud) but know this, you and Harry are meant to be here, in the 1970’s as a part of the Potter household. I can’t tell you much, but there are greater magics at work here than you know. Harry was meant to come with you from the start (despite that meddlesome old coot’s best efforts to the contrary), you cannot do this task on your own. 

Now, Harry this is my message to you, I know that you’ve just faced Voldemort and Dumbledore told you to send Hermione by herself, but that was if you died, you haven’t. Go with her, and your second chance is guaranteed. 

To you both, you’ve arrived, in the loosest interpretation of the word, here in the spring of 1970, to give you time to adjust before you go to Hogwarts in the fall. Live life to the fullest, enjoy a chance at a childhood free of murderous sociopaths dogging your every step. 

The time to destroy the horcrux will become obvious in 1981, but remember, every action you take here will ripple back and effect the present once you return. Time is a tempestuous magic, and one that is very difficult to grasp, I suggest learning all you can about Merlin and his magics before you even begin to research this time turner.

I know you’ll be tempted to try and take Voldemort down now, before he rises to power, and you can make some changes to do so, though I can’t tell you much of what to do. Make friends, don’t just focus on Gryffindor, expand your horizons. 

Enjoy yourselves and remember that while Voldemort is on the rise here, there are other things far fouler than him, and if you get rid of him now, something worse might take his place when you return to the future. I know this isn’t helpful, and is rather vague, but Voldemort is a, necessity, for lack of a better word. 

I know I’ve said your return to the future as a certainty, but you won’t actually return until you’ve completed your Task, and I’ll give you a hint, it’s not just the horcrux, but it’s not what you think it would be either. 

I’m so sorry, I can’t give you both clear answers, but I can’t say too much, and every word I write is monitored, watched, ugh. I’m running out of time, please remember what I said about living your lives, it is imperative that you just be Harry and Hermione Potter. I wish you both the best of luck.

Hermione Cassiopeia Potter

P.S. Do not trust Dumbledore with where you are from. For the greater good is never a good enough validator for his actions. 

P.P.S. Really Hermione, you could have been more specific in some parts. What you two really need to know, is that the Order of the Phoenix can’t stand alone, and its message of redemption via stunning Death Eaters and not responding with equal force is utter shite. I’m serious, whatever you may do with Dumbledore, remember that. -Harry Altair Potter 

Hermione let the letter fall from her fingers to her lap, her mind whirling as she thought on what her future self had said, the time travel, the horcrux, Dumbledore. The first two things she pushed away to focus on Dumbledore, he’d left the letter for them, but she’d slowly lost any trust she had for the old man over the last year of camping and starving while they dodged Death Eaters and hunted for horcruxes. He’d left an impossible task to three teenagers and swore them to secrecy. On the run, they hadn’t been able to tell anyone what they were doing, not even Sirius or Remus were let in on the secret, though they’d helped when they could. She remembered the constant fear of the last year, her arm twinging as she felt Bellatrix’s blade all over again, how could Dumbledore have justified this? They were kids, barely trained, and he expected them—he expected Harry to face Voldemort? Her hands shook as she pushed back a wave of anger, her hair starting to frizzle out as her magic sparked along her body. She looked over at Harry and saw his eyes, the pure emerald green that had been faded and aged the last year, suddenly clear, shining with something new. Whatever Dumbledore’s faults in the past, they had a second chance now to live, and she was going to make sure that Harry enjoyed it. 

“Well this is a bit different than third year,” Harry chuckled as Hermione shook her head at his pale imitation of a joke, “But seriously, Hermione—we’re, we’re in the past, and I have these memories…” he trailed off as he felt the weight of his new past settle over the two of them. Memories of Hermione trailing after him and James as they played in the gardens. Memories of their mother standing over the three of them giving them lessons about propriety and the duties of pureblood society. Memories of their father dragging the three of them to the muggle fair in the town next to the manor, shoving cotton candy in his wife’s face as the kids laughed. Memories of a real childhood, something he knew in his bones actually happened. They weren’t fake, he’d done those things, lived that life, the Waters of Avalon may have brought them to the past, but he lived it. He watched as Hermione began to nibble on her bottom lip, worrying over some problem, and he wondered why they got their memories now? It was July 1970. Two and a half months before they started Hogwarts, but they were only 11, what could 11-year-olds do? 

Hermione traced over the words on the parchment, her mind whirling as she tried to puzzle over the circumstances surrounding their travel in time, worrying her bottom lip she started to mutter, “If we wrote the letter, and set it up to send ourselves back, wouldn’t we have created a circular paradox?” She paused, tasting a coppery tang as she bit too far on her lip, grimacing at the taste of her own blood, she continued to think aloud, “How could we change anything if it’s already happened?”

“I think the changes won’t happen automatically in our present—future, fuck, past?” Harry glared over at the letter, “That’s what we said at least.”

“But its not logical. The time turner I used 3rd year created a loop, we went back and freed Buckbeak and saved Sirius because we already had. You were able to cast your Patronus because you figured out that it was you casting it all along. The Waters of Avalon are known to be incredibly powerful, but to freeze what we change until we’re in the present, future—I don’t understand how it works.”

“It’s magic Hermione. And from the letter, it looks like you’ll have time to study it, nearly ten years of it.”

“That!” Hermione jerked to her feet, the letter falling to the floor, “I thought we were only going back to 1981 Harry, to get the 8th horcrux Voldemort hid, I didn’t think we would be going back over 30 years and be in our adolescent bodies! And I’m still not sure why he made 8 horcruxes, it’s not a magical number,” she trailed off as she began to puzzle over Voldemort’s idiocy.

“Yeah but you forget Hermione, he didn’t mean to make me a horcrux, so whatever he did in 1981, he thought was only his sixth, Nagini being the seventh.”

Sinking back into her chair, Hermione stared at the letter laying innocuously on the plush maroon rugs before her, how could a simple piece of paper cause so much turmoil? Leaning down, she picked it up and folded it back into a neat square before placing it back in the box beneath the time turner, out of sight, out of mind. The box itself shouldn’t even be there, nor the note if they’d traveled back and yet somehow lived through the first 10 years of their new lives, (and she knew that they had, the memories with James as a brother were far too vivid to be fabricated), magic shouldn’t be able to do such things, even with a power such as the Waters of Avalon as a locus. It seemed, well, excessive.

Harry looked away from Hermione and towards the fire that was cracking in the ornate marble fireplace across from them. Merlin, he was in the past! With his dad as his brother no less! And Hermione as his sister (though he’d always privately thought of her as such, it was still strange to know it was a reality now thanks to Merlin and his magics). They were Irish twins, well triplets really since he was James’ twin and Hermione was just shy of 11 months older than them. She should have been away at Hogwarts by then, enjoying her first year, but after an accident while playing in the yard (surprisingly neither his nor James’ fault, they’d been across the field practicing on their brooms when she’d been knocked out), she’d spent several months in St. Mungo’s her magic fluctuating as she stayed in a coma. Thankfully, Dumbledore had agreed to let her start school with her brothers once she’d recovered. Harry didn’t know how he could have gone to Hogwarts without her, even if she was just a year above him, it wouldn’t be the same without having her beside him in the same classes. He didn’t doubt they’d be sorted into the same house, after everything they’d gone through over the last seven years (plus the additional ten now), they were forever linked.

“Are you two done brooding? Mum says Mimi finished dinner and that we need to hurry up before Dad eats all the shepherd’s pie.” Their brothers voice startled the two from their thoughts and they quickly turned to face him. James stood in the doorway, his square glasses crooked on the edge of his nose, hazel yes sparkling as he started to bounce from foot to foot, “Come on, I’m hungry.”

Hermione let out a quiet giggle at her oldest younger brother’s impatience before gesturing at Harry to get up. Following James down the hall they made their way down the grand staircase and towards the dining room. Walking through the double doors, Harry felt his heart clench in his chest as he looked at his grandparents-parents.

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Dorea Potter neé Black narrowed her eyes as her wayward children filed into the dining room. James leading, his cowlicks pointing at all four corners of the room, Harry and Hermione a foot behind him, their faces a curious mix of anxious and exhausted with pinched foreheads and bags that weren’t there for lunch under their eyes. She guessed it might have something to do with the news that Hermione would be allowed to attend Hogwarts with her brothers that fall. Seeing her only girl stuck in a bed at St. Mungo’s for months, waking up just in time for her 12th birthday had nearly broken her. Only watching her tear open the letter from Dumbledore as her brothers bounced back in forth in their seats with barely contained curiosity had soothed the jagged shards of her heart, knowing that her daughter would be fine, and would soon be off to school with brothers who loved her at her side. She adored all three of her children, forever grateful that she and Charlus had been blessed so late in life with such vivacious and adoring children. Knowing that they would be together at Hogwarts helped soothe the knowledge that they’d be gone and she would be alone again. Making a mental note to rejoin society and start attending and hosting some of the ladies luncheons to reclaim her former status as a Black witch in the Wizarding World’s upper echelon, she looked at her three children as they ate their dinners, grateful for Hermione’s dainty manners compared to her brothers. Narrowing her grey eyes, she watched Hermione’s free hand tapping along the table while Harry finger combed his fringe from his forehead. Something was different about the two of them, they were upset. Something had changed between the morning’s cheer and now, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. 

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Many miles away from Potter manor, in a surprisingly unlocked room deep in the heart of the Department of Mysteries, a light went off.

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Looking down at the image along the crystalline waters of the Lake of Avalon, Merlin cackled, rubbing his hands together in a gesture better suited for the evil sorcerer of the week he’d had to face in Camelot all those years ago. 

“Oh for the love of—arghh,” Merlin went toppling into the lake as Morgana stood behind him, her eyes flashing gold as Merlin squawked in outrage.

“Come on Morgana,” Merlin whined, pushing back his sodden hair from his forehead, “Eternity gets so boring.”

“Playing with people’s lives isn’t the answer Merlin,” Morgana snapped in return, her hair crackling with magic as the warlock continued to cackle, splashing about in the water, he’d obviously lost what little sanity he had long ago, not too long after she’d regained her own.

Freya tried not to sigh from her perch in the middle of the lake, if Morgana didn’t throttle Merlin within the first week, she’d eat Excalibur.


End file.
